Mr. Stefanile, Deputy Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in New York

(How can progress on SDG 16 help tackle global challenges and accelerate the realization of the 2030 Agenda?) • The first of these guiding questions has to do with the catalytic function of SDG16 vis-a-vis the other SDGs and the overall implementation of the 2030 Agenda. [...] • The reason why I embarked in this exercise is that I have been lucky to be at the Rio+20 Conference in 2012 and then in New York in the following years during the negotiations on the SDGs and I remember the extreme care and attention that was being put, at that time, into the formulation of each of the SDGs. [...] In this respect, it is interesting to note that the objective of fighting inequality refers also to the broadening and strengthening of the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance (one of the indicators of SDG16 relates specifically to the proportion of members and voting rights of developing countries in IFIs). [...] The list could be long: from the increase in certain types of violence and corruption activities to the deepening of inequalities, from the disruption of essential public services, including judiciary proceedings, to the heightening of social tensions, from the limitation of some political activities (large meetings, rallies) to the postponement of electoral processes. [...] At the same time and for the very same reason, the pandemic has dramatically emphasized the importance of fundamental freedoms and rights, good governance and the rule of law, proving that SDG16 must be one of the guiding stars in promoting a better recovery from the pandemic and in building resilience to future shocks and crises.